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WAILUKU -- Bail was maintained at $250,000 for a 29-year-old Makawao man who was arrested when police seized more than 400 suspected fentanyl pills, cash and nearly 28 grams of crystal methamphetamine in an investigation earlier this month.
Second Circuit Judge Kelsey Kawano maintained bail for Jose Camacho, who is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and promoting a controlled substance near a school. He is also charged with three counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug.
The charges stem from a police investigation Oct. 2, when Camacho arranged to meet an undercover police officer for the sale of 53 of the pills. It also led to a search of his residence.
In a preliminary hearing Oct. 7, a Maui police officer said Camacho told him he had sold some of the opioids to a man who later died in August.
In maintaining bail, Kawano said Camacho and his actions pose a "grave risk of harm to the community."
He also ordered Camacho to stay 100 yards away from Makawao Elementary School.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for Nov. 30.
In arguing for supervised release or a bail reduction, Deputy Public Defender Heather Wolfenbarger said Camacho has ties to the community, has lived on the island for at least 14 years and has a job and family here.
The court can keep tabs on him by having him check in with the Maui Intake Service Center, she said.
She also mentioned trying to keep him out of jail during the COVID-19 pandemic as the Maui Community Correctional Center had 260 inmates as of Monday, over its design capacity of 209 inmates.
But Deputy Prosecutor Tracy Jones argued to maintain bail at $250,000 because of Camacho's actions and the danger he poses to the community, as he had bootleg pills that resembled oxycodone.
Testing showed the pills actually contained fentanyl, which is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine and is lethal, she added.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.